AAA needs your help! Many of our members receive federally funded grants to conduct humanities research and education that have produced direct or indirect benefits for society. AAA is helping the National Humanities Alliance in continuing efforts to articulate the value of the humanities in response to the proposed spending cuts by Congress and the Administration to the National Endowment for the Humanities and other federal funding for humanities teaching and research in Fiscal years 2011 and 2012.

These proposed cuts are a very serious threat, particularly in an environment where Members of Congress are looking hard for ways to reduce federal spending. We must be prepared to defend federal support for the humanities with facts and examples of how they contribute to: the classroom; local, state or national public policy arenas; public knowledge creation; the preservation of history and heritage; the economy; global challenges and national security.

Please drop us a comment to this blog post with your examples of primarily federally supported humanities research and education that have resulted in nationally significant and demonstrable economic educations, social, policy, and/or national security benefits. Ideally, these examples will be mature research programs or historical examples (where the studies or activities are complete). We are especially interested in examples with value demonstrated by strong qualitative anecdotes and evidence or quantitative data.

Thank you in advance for your assistance with this critical task for the future of funding humanities research and education.